The Confusion
by PippinBoyd
Summary: Jake and Marco slash...just curious to see what might happen.
1. Default Chapter

My name is Marco. And today, for once, there was no running, screaming, or plotting to save the world. It was just me, and my best buddy Jake, going down to the pier to hang out. We hadn't had a mission in a while. The Yeerks seemed to be taking a break for a bit. So we were, too. We had been hitting them hard, and believed they were 'reworking' their strategy. Thank God.  
"Jake, over here!" I called, waving to the tall, brown haired boy walking towards me. He smiled and quickly jogged to meet me. He looked far to serious and mature for his age. He had the kind of eyes that commanded your attention. He would never make you listen to him, but then again, he'd never have to. A forty year old, trapped in a kids body. Jake and I were meeting at the end of the pier, and being four o'clock in the morning, there weren't any people around. No one wakes up that early on summer vacation. No one sane anyway. Which is why we were there...  
"You ready?' Jake asked. I smiled and nodded. Soon we were both beginning to feel the itch of feathers growing out of our skin, the long, hard, orange beak bulging out of our face, and the shrinking. We aren't exactly supposed to use our powers for fun, but every once in a while, Jake lets it slide. Which is why we were both seagulls, flying around the beach, acting absolutely insane.  
Looklooklooklooklook! That box of pizza is still half full! Half full!!! I cried in thought-speech, swooping down to land on the dumpster.  
  
A ho-ho! Jake called back, landing on the ground ten feet from where I was perched, chomping down a slice of anchovy/onion/mushroom/olive/extra, extra, 'don't you dare be skimpy with the cheese' pizza. When we had eaten our fill ,(which might sustain us for maybe ten minutes), we were off flying again, soaring over the high ocean waves. The sun was just beginning to come up, casting rays of blood red light across the abandoned pier. I flew back to it, and began demorphing.  
What are you doing? Jake asked, who had just been preparing to swoop down upon a forgotten bag of Doritos. When I finished demorphing, I sat down at the small, about to fall apart, picnic table. Jake flew over to me, and began demorphing. Morphing clothing was hard, so we were both wearing bicycle shorts, and small t-shirts. Not such a fashion statement.  
Jake looked at me questioningly, and I nodded my head to the rising sun.  
"It looks better, seeing it through my own eyes." Jake smiled, and pantomimed a violin, his expression changing to one who was really into the sad, sad music they were playing. I smiled and shook my head.  
"It's nice being able to fly as a bird, swim as a dolphin, and beat the crap out of a yeerk as a gorilla," I continued, "But nothing beats this good ol' human body."  
"You got that right," Jake said, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head. An awkward silence followed. That was the fifth time in the past month something like this had happened. What was Jake talking about? He agreed, being in your own body was best? Or that nothing beats...my body? Neither of us had addressed the obvious tension between us. Usually it would be Cassie who would spot a problem in the group, and force us to talk about it. Yet even she didn't see this. But then again, what is this?  
"Jake..." I began, standing up. Jake quickly and expectantly looked over to me. I sighed. "I had better get back home, you know. Before my dad wakes up." Jake smiled weakly and I turned away from him to morph back to my typical osprey. When I was finished, Jake still hadn't even started.  
What are you waiting for? I asked, hopping and flying onto the picnic table.  
"Just wanted to watch the sunrise."  
If I see more clichés on the way home, I'll be sure to tell them to stop by, I said. Jake smiled.  
"No, a cliché would be two lovers watching the sunrise. Or set." Jake turned to me and looked into my sharp osprey eyes. I quickly looked away.  
Well if I see any fine ladies on the way home, I'll give 'em the heads up I forced meekly. Jake continued staring, his face expressionless.  
  
"Marco, maybe it would be better for me to do this when you're not a bird," he said, moving closer to me. I backed away and forced a laugh.  
Do what? I asked. Jake shrugged, and began morphing into a bird. I sighed a very large sigh of relief. See ya later, man, I said as I began flying off. But I wasn't going home. Me and Jake live fairly close together, so I'd have to act as if I was going home for a while. Luckily, we usually fly far apart, as to not make anyone suspicious. So soon I was flying to the edge of town, to a small barn full of everything from horses to wolves to ducks to chipmunks. I landed in the hay loft and demorphed. Quietly as I could, (I didn't know were Cassie's parents were, and I've heard farmers are early risers), I walked down into the barn. Thankfully, Cassie was the only one in there, scooping some food into a manger for a horse. She was singing to herself. Sounded like...The Beatles?  
"Cassie," I whispered, stepping out of the shadows. Cassie shrieked, and fell backwards in fright. "Sorry," I muttered, walking over to help her up. She blushed furiously.  
"How long have you been there?"  
"Somewhere around 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand', to 'Penny Lane'," I said, grinning. Cassie couldn't help but smile.  
"Alright, so what is it? Some new mission?" Cassie asked, sitting down on a bale of hay. I sat down on one across from her.  
"Actually, it's kind of a...personal thing," I said, fiddling with a piece of hay.  
"Oh, so it doesn't involve the Animorphs," Cassie said, sighing thankfully.  
"I wouldn't say that," I mumbled. Cassie looked me in the eyes, a kind of look that wouldn't let me look away. "Fine!" I finally said after five minutes of the 'Cassie stare'. "Ok, say that, hypothetically, someone liked me."  
"I suppose that would have to be hypothetical," Cassie said, giggling.  
"Ok, Rachel," I said, her joking not helping in the least bit.  
"Sorry. Sorry, go on. Hypothetically, someone likes you."  
"Yeah. And I think I like that someone. But...we've been friends for a while. And neither of us really knows how to...initiate...the first...contact."  
"Well. I'd say one of you should just go for it," Cassie said simply, shrugging.  
"I would. But, it's really weird. Neither of us, hypothetically, had ever thought about the other like that before. It's really confusing," I said, putting my head on my lap and my hands over the back of my neck.  
"So, you have a thing for an Animorph. This thing is a mutual...thing. But neither of you know how to start the...thing." I nodded.  
"Well Marco, I think next time you see her, you'll just have to tell Rachel that-"  
"Wait, what? You think it's Rachel?" I demanded.  
"Well, I know it isn't me, since you came to me for the help," Cassie said.  
"It isn't Rachel," I said, shaking my head furiously.  
"But if it's an Animorph, that only leaves Tobias, Jake, and Ax."  
"It's not Ax," I said, shuddering at the thought.  
"Well then all you have left is Tobias and Jake, and they're both..." Cassie suddenly stopped. "Marco, I didn't know you were gay!"  
"What?" I sputtered. "I'm not gay. I'm...keeping my options open."  
"Alright then. Tobias is a bird, and him and Rachel are...together. So you and Jake then." Cassie said. I looked at her apologetically.  
"I'm sorry, Cassie. I know you and Jake were..."  
"No, actually," Cassie said, smiling deviously. "Jake told me a long time ago that he was gay, but swore me to secrecy. I don't know why, he knew none of us would care. But still...so I told him I wouldn't tell a soul. That wasn't good enough for him. So I became kind of his...cover up."  
"You mean...you and Jake were...faking? So no one would know?" I asked, shocked. What they had seemed so real.  
"Yes, in a way. I love Jake, and he loves me, but it's a different kind of love. Not romantic." I smiled.  
"So, you think I should just, go for it?" I asked. Cassie nodded. "Alright. Thanks!" I cried, quickly morphing back to osprey and flying home. I demorphed and crawled back into bed just as my dad knocked on the door.  
"Marco, I'm going to Dunkin' Donuts. You want anything?" he asked.  
"No thanks," I called, burying my face into the pillow. I hate getting up early, and was planing on making up for the lost time that morning.  
"Alright. Oh, and Jake's mom just called. He's going to be spending the next week with us," my dad said.  
"What?! "I shouted, sitting straight up in my bed. My dad opened my door.  
"His mom and dad are going away for a while. Something about a second honeymoon. She asked if Jake could stay here."  
"But, what about Tom?" I asked. Tom, Jake's brother, was a known controller.  
"He's going on a camping trip with The Sharing. If you have a problem with Jake staying over, his mom said he could just go with Tom," my dad offered.  
"No! No, that's ok. It'll be cool, having Jake over for a week," I said, forcing a smile. My dad smiled back, and left my room.  
Jake was going to be staying here for a week? I was thinking I'd have a long time to plan my 'mode of attack' with the whole Jake thing. But apparently not. He's going to be sleeping in my room, three feet away, eating breakfast, lunch and dinner with me, playing video games, going to the mall, walking on the beach, holding han- wait a minute. No. I couldn't do this. How would I ever work up the nerve to tell him how I felt? With any luck, he'll decide to take the initiative. But what if he didn't.?  
I got back into my bed, and put my pillow over my head. I'd think about this later.  
Darkness all around. Being ripped apart, limb by limb. Evil pinchers, attacking me, biting me, killing me, eating me. No room. No air. Demorph! Demorph! Can't demorph! No room! Just do it! Demorph. Dirt walls closing in around me. Buried alive. No room to move. No room to breath. Four bodies around me, growing just like me. Suffocating just like me. The ground moves. Shakes. Splits. Air! I can feel it, soft, cool, flowing painfully into my deprived lungs. Alive! We're alive! Standing next to me, still shaking, is the leader. Tall and built. I turn to him, and we embrace. We could have died, he sobs, but I hold him and make it better. After he has calmed, I take his face in my hands. His eyes slowly close, as do mine, as our faces draw nearer and nearer. I almost have to stand on tiptoe to reach. I can feel his warm, sweet breath, centimeters from my face. The tears that were flowing from his eyes are soaking my hands. Our lips will be touching in mere seconds. Half a second away, I can just feel the brush of the soft lips on mine, silently agreeing, both mouths open before even true contact. Soon to be lost in him. Finally, it's coming.  
  
"Ahhhh!" I cried, falling out of bed into a heap of blankets and sweat onto the floor. "No, no. No." I muttered, clutching my chest. Remembering the horrible ant morph, and the awful claustrophobic feeling. Almost as soon as I began thinking about the dream, it was gone. But I couldn't forget one part. Jake was there. And something happened, between us. Our faces were close, very close. I shut my eyes, trying not to think about it. It hurt.  
  
TBC 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Thank you so much to all of you who reviewed! This was one of the first things I ever published and I was really nervous. This chapter isn't so long, but this weekend I plan to sit down and write until my hands fall off. So...yes. Thanks again (  
  
"Marco! Marco! Wake up!" I groaned as my dad began pounding on my door. The red numbers on my clock/radio read 12:46 in the afternoon. Well, mission accomplished. I made up for the lost sleep that morning alright. My dad opened the door and walked in.  
"I got you a Boston Cream," he said, handing me the donut and a napkin. I smiled and took it. I didn't really like those things, a little to sugary. I'm sweet enough already. And witty. And charming. And attractive. And modest. I set the donut on my nightstand. My dad does stuff like that a lot. Getting me things I don't need. But he always seems to feel a bit...inadequate, I guess. Ever since my mom...ever since it was just me and him. He tries to make up for it, but he doesn't have to. I understand.  
"So, uh, Dad. When's Jake coming over?" I asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.  
"Tomorrow afternoon. And this room had better be cleaned before he gets here. I'll get the air mattress, but I'm going to need some room to set it up. Honestly, Marco, how does your room get like this?" he asked, looking around and picking up an old gym sock. He held it out in front of himself and wrinkled his nose.  
"I like it. It adds...character," I said, flicking an old pizza crust off of the nightstand.  
"Yes, well, just get it straightened up a bit," he said, walking out of the room. I stretched and climbed out of bed. Might as well get started. I grabbed an old trash bag from my last attempt to clean my room, and began shoving everything in there. Old magazines. Food. The donut, some chips, a shriveled apple core, a bottle of moldy iced tea, ooo a package of unopened M&M's! I plopped down on my bed and opened the M&M's. I think I deserve a break. I began munching on them happily (praying they were those crunchy M&M's, cause they sure tasted like them...) I then heard a loud tap on the window. I looked over and saw a peregrine falcon, banging its beak up against the glass. I ran over and opened the window.  
.Thanks man, Jake said, flying in and immediately demorphing. He was wearing the typical morphing suit. It was tight. I found myself staring. I knew he would notice, but I couldn't stop looking! What was wrong with me?!  
"What are you doing here?" I asked, finally forcing myself to look away from Jake's built, muscular, toned, hot...uhh, hm?  
"I thought we should talk," Jake said, far to seriously. I rolled my eyes.  
"What now, Jake? Some secret fortress to break into? Some sort of device that can kill all the yeerks within a twenty mile radius? Let me guess. It involves a toaster, Spam, and a monkey." Jake shook his head and walked towards me. I stepped back. He took another step forward. I stepped back again, felt my knees buckle, and landed on my bed. Before I knew what was happening, Jake was on top of me, forcing his tongue between my lips. I sputtered for a moment, then rolled over, pushing Jake off of me. He looked up into my face. I had never seen so much pain in anyone's eyes. I walked to the door and put my hand on the door knob. I then pushed in the little button, locking it.  
"Wouldn't want to be interrupted," I said, running and jumping onto the bed. Jake smiled, and put his hand on my cheek. I grabbed his head and wrenched it towards mine, causing him to cry out in surprise, and then what I hoped was extreme pleasure. We carried on in this way for quite some time, until I heard my dad stomping up the hallway.  
"Marco, how's that room coming?"  
"Not nearly as fast as I am," Jake muttered. I lightly smacked his cheek and crawled out from under him.  
"Fine, Dad," I called, getting up and ruffling papers around, making it sound like I was actually trying to clean. After I heard my dad's door close, Jake stood up and walked up behind me, lacing his arm's through mine and clasping them around my waist.  
"A whole week?" he whispered in my ear.  
"Yeah. A whole week." 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N I love you all! Thanks so much, you guys rock! Ehehe, yes I'm quite partial to the Spam line, too. Here's another chapter, and as soon as I post it I'm going to start work on the next one. Ah, such a good stress reliever after a stupid long day at school. :-D  
  
After another hour of cleaning, the occasional snog, and quite a few dirty jokes, Jake morphed to peregrine falcon and flew back home. I sat on my bed, taking in all that had happened. Me and Jake...kissing. On the very bed I was now sitting on. Hm. Now that seems a bit odd. But, at the same time, not doing it would have been absolute insanity. I would have exploded like a shaken up Coke can if that hadn't of just happened. I was seriously considering flying to Jake's for a little bit, when my dad opened the door.  
"Much better," he said, smiling at my now fairly clean room. No more old food, and the clothes had all been jammed into the hamper and under my bed. I had the window open, getting some fresh air in. And just in case Jake decided to stop by again...  
"So, what are we having for dinner?" I asked, just now realizing how hungry I was. I hadn't eaten all day.  
"Pizza?" my dad suggested. A common favorite.  
"Sounds good to me," I said, smiling. "Pepperoni, mushrooms, olives, and extra cheese." My dad made a face.  
"How about just pepperoni?" he asked. I nodded. Pizza was not the biggest thing on my mind right now.  
"Sure, whatever. Oh, no," I moaned, smacking my forehead. In all the commotion with Jake, I had completely forgotten a rather serious book report I had due. The Hobbit. I hadn't exactly read it...but I knew the gist, I suppose.  
"Dad, I'll be down in a while, I have some school work to do," I said, pulling the book out of my backpack and sitting at my now clear desk.  
  
"Well Marco, if you would have told me that...You know school work is more important than your room," he said, shaking his head.  
"I know Dad. But this won't take long, don't worry." He forced a weak smile as he left the room. I hated having to do that. He knew I would probably end up eating the pizza alone, at my desk, while writing complete B.S, while he sat at the kitchen table, pretending to read the newspaper, but really just staring at nothing and thinking.  
"The Hobbit, by J.R.R Tolkien," I muttered to myself as I wrote. Well. On the cover was a really short guy. And a huge guy with a pointy hat and long flowing robes. So...it was about a midget and a cross-dresser. Alright. Easy enough. One of those artsy pieces that's supposed to make you think. I flipped through and wrote down a couple of the names that I saw to make it more convincing. After a page and a half about oppression of shorter people and men who dressed in drag, my dad knocked on my door.  
"Here you go," he said, putting a piece of Pepperoni, mushroom, olive, and extra cheese pizza next to my paper on the desk. "I got half pepperoni, and half that," he said, pointing to the piece and sticking his tongue out, biting it a little at the grotesque excuse for pizza that sat in front of him.  
"Thanks Dad. Look, I'm almost done. Do you want to watch a movie, or something?" I asked hopefully.  
"I'd like that," he said, smiling and walking out of my room. After a rather slap-dash ending to my report (I now believe I have made it quite clear to you, oh lovely reader, that to judge someone on their height or choice of clothes, is unfair, ignorant, and just plain mean.), I ran out of my room to the living room.  
"So what'll it be tonight?" my dad asked, flipping on the pay-per- view channel. We skimmed through the information on some of them, looking for words like 'blood' 'explosion' and 'the end of the world', avoiding words like 'heart-wrenching' 'beautiful' and 'perfect for the entire family'. We finally agreed on what seemed to be a rather gory film, and in the two minutes before it started, I made some popcorn. It was then that the phone rang.  
"Hello?" I said quietly.  
"Hey Marco. It's me, Cassie. Remember that C.D I leant you?"  
"Oh, yeah," I said, looking over my shoulder. We could never be to careful, especially on the phone.  
"Well I kind of need it back. It's Rachel's, not mine, and she's a bit angry about me letting you borrow it."  
"Give me an hour."  
"Just hurry, Marco."  
I hung up the phone and returned to the living room. I knew within twenty minutes my dad would be out like a light. But I needed to be sure before I left the house.  
"Who was that?" he asked as I came back into the room with the popcorn.  
"Wrong number," I said, sitting down next to him and munching on some popcorn. Sure enough, within ten minutes, I heard the unmistakable sound of his snores beginning. I quietly stood up, and walked to my room. I quickly scrawled a note and put it on my desk, just in case. 'Went for a walk, be back soon.' I shed my outer clothing, revealing tight bicycle shorts and a t-shirt I must've gotten in like fifth grade. I morphed osprey and made my way to Cassie's farm, which was just on the edge of the city we all lived in.  
"'Bout time," Rachel grumbled as I landed on the rafters, hopped down onto a hay bale, and demorphed.  
"Evening, sunshine," I said brightly, smiling wide. Cassie, Rachel, Jake, and Ax were all sitting (or in Ax's case, standing) in the barn.  
.Sit down Marco. We need to get this over with quick, I heard in my mind, coming from the rafters.  
"Hey bird-boy, don't order me around," I said a bit harshly. I was kind of grumpy from my lack of sleep. "Sorry," I said, sighing. "What's going on?"  
"Tobias thinks he may have found a new entrance to the yeerk pool," Jake said. I rolled my eyes.  
"Well that happens all the time, now, doesn't it? What's so special about this one that we had to meet in the middle of the night?" I asked.  
"If you would shut up maybe he could tell you," Rachel growled. Cassie put a hand on her arm to calm her.  
.We believe this might not only be an entrance, but a way of enslaving many new humans each day, without even going into the pool, Ax said, looking at me with his main eyes, his stalk eyes on constant alert for any intruders.  
"Woah. That is bad. But what kind of place would have people going in where no one could see them, and have them not notice when a hulking Hork- bajir comes at them, yelling 'hey let me stick this alien in your head'. I mean, people would notice if this is a public places that tons of people use all the time." I said, hoping that what I had just said was true and that we could all just go home.  
"This place is dark, people go in long enough to be taken, and no one would notice anything odd about it," Jake said.  
"And people use it often?" Cassie asked.  
"Yes. Often enough to make a considerable dent in the free humans to controller ratio, that's for sure," Jake responded.  
"What is this, twenty questions?" Rachel cried, standing up. If I could say one thing for her, the girl definitely knew how to get to the point. "Where is this place?"  
.Down town, right in the middle of the busiest part of the city, Tobias said.  
"Well, what is it?!" Rachel shouted.  
.The car wash.  
  
I feel perhaps another note is in order. Alright, as far as having Marco read (or rather, not read) The Hobbit goes...it was the first book that popped into my head. I meant no disrespect to J.R.R, as he is one of my favorite authors. Odd...most of my favorite authors tend to sign books with letters and dots. J.R.R Tolkien, K.A Applegate... Any who. And another thing I had left out – The Animorphs is, of course, NOT mine, and neither are any of the characters. I have nothing, so you'll have to sue my parents. And unless you want to be reimbursed in bad jokes and groundation...well, yes...off to work on the next chapter! 


	4. Chapter 4

"What? But everyone uses that! The car wash? I mean, what are we supposed to do?" Cassie asked.  
.Well, to begin with...if I may, Prince Jake, Ax said, bowing his head slightly to Jake.  
"Go for it, Ax-man."  
.We should begin with surveillance. Just how the yeerks are going to be transported might not yet be known to the yeerks themselves. Visser Three is not the most patient of vissers, as you all know. He will want this to be up and running as soon as possible, or perhaps even sooner. The yeerks could use portable Kandronas, but the odds of them being able to fit one into the area where humans wash their vehicles are low.  
"Yeerks can stay alive for some time in just water," Cassie said. "Maybe they could just have them in a jar or something."  
.Yes, that is possible. It would be most unnerving for the yeerks themselves, but it would get the job done.  
"Couldn't they just scoop some sludge into a bucket or something?" Rachel asked.  
.Yes, I suppose that is also a possibility. Which is why we must scope out this area at once.  
"Alright, thanks Ax. So how's tomorrow afternoon for everyone?" Jake asked.  
"Yeah, more like this afternoon. It's already 'tomorrow'," Rachel grumbled. She didn't like being deprived from sleep any more then I did.  
"Right. So everyone set with that?" We all nodded in unison.  
"Marco, will your dad care if we go? He is kind of in charge of me for the next week, I guess." I was about to say he'd have no problem with it, when Cassie giggled.  
"What?" Rachel asked.  
"Nothing, nothing," Cassie said, gaining her composure. Apparently she found it funny, me and Jake sharing a room for a week.  
"No, it's something. Tell me!"  
.Yeah, what is it? Tobias joined in. Cassie looked at me and Jake, as if begging permission to tell. She wouldn't say one word if either of us told her not to. Jake looked at me, silently asking. I suppose I didn't care if they knew. But what did I tell them? Was Jake my boyfriend? I guess, in a way. I nodded to Jake, who nodded to Cassie. It's not like it's a big deal, and they don't really need to know. But Tobias and Rachel's relationship is no secret, and the supposed Cassie and Jake thing was well known enough.  
"Well..." Cassie began. "No, I can't tell them. You have to," she said, nudging Jake.  
"You tell them," he mumbled, kicking my shin.  
"Ow! You tell them!" I hissed back, rubbing my poor sore shin.  
"No way!" Rachel said, looking over to Tobias. He had obviously said something to her in private thought speak.  
"What did you tell her?" I demanded.  
.Oh, nothing. Just a little something about a new love blossoming within the Animorphs.  
"Marco and Jake? Now there's one I never saw coming!" Rachel said, smiling.  
"How did you know?" I demanded of Tobias.  
.Well I was coming to get you, to tell you about what was going on earlier. But then I saw that Jake was already there. So I figured 'oh good, save me a trip, I can tell them both.' But as I got closer, I saw that...that maybe you wouldn't want to be disturbed, Tobias said, words absolutely dripping with joy. He loved this, being able to pay me back for all my comments about a Barbie dating a bird-boy.  
.I'm afraid...I'm afraid I don't understand... Ax said, moving uneasily from hoof to hoof.  
"Jake and Marco are dating," Rachel said, obviously immensely pleased at this news. I figured it was due to all my supposed love affairs with hundreds of beautiful ladies all over the school. But I could tell that deep down, she was just happy for us.  
.Ah. I see. They are thifests, Ax said.  
"We're what?" Jake asked.  
.Thifests. There are many of these on the battleships, which are typically single-sex. Most Andalites will find a member of the opposite sex to mate with, and procreate. But not all Andalites desire this. Because our society tends to encourage creating new life, thifests are often looked down upon. But on a battleship, there is no time for a family, quite often, so to have a pair of thifests around is perfectly acceptable. Plenty of Andalites, like myself, don't think there is anything wrong with thifests at all. It has long been a theory amongst Andalites that ones sexual preference is merely caused by society's wish for us to procreate, and that in fact Andalites are attracted to both males and females, with no particular preference.  
"That makes perfect sense, when you think about it," Cassie said.  
"Yes, but thinking about it makes my head hurt," I said, clutching my forehead. This was all very complicated. But then again, maybe it was far to simple. Me and Jake are dating, and everyone's fine with it. More then fine, almost! Happy about it! This was great! But then I remembered. Ah yes, tomorrow. A mission. Surveillance, yes. But a mission none-the-less. Something could happen to any one of us. And if Jake was hurt, I didn't know what I'd do. 


	5. Chapter 5

Alright those things that are used in the book for thought speech, the greater than and less than signs, you know? Those don't seem to want to work so I used ( ) instead. Grr. Sorry.

Sleep was nice. I collapsed onto my bed, and Jake collapsed onto the air mattress my dad had put out. In our extreme sleepiness, the fact that we had a whole room to ourselves for the entire night left us. Pity, I'm sure we'd regret it later. We awoke without a word the next morning, still horribly tired. After dropping our book reports off at the school office (Jake having finished his summer reading about a month ago) we flew to Cassie's barn. Everyone was there, preparing for the scope-out mission. except us.

"Late again, Marco. You're a bad influence on my cousin," Rachel said pointedly.

"Sorry," I grumbled, sitting down on a bale of hay.

"It's ok, let's just get down to business," Jack said, walking to the center of the group.

"Oh don't tell me you're going to go all soft now that you have lover boy over here," Rachel said, rolling her eyes.

"Rachel, shut up," Cassie bluntly said. Rachel looked too taken aback to respond.

"Right, so anyway," Jack began, "I'm thinking two of us should go in, in seagull morph. We don't need anymore than that snooping around. Wouldn't want to look too obvious."

"What two?" I asked.

"I'm in," Rachel said quickly. Of course.

(Perhaps, Prince Jake, I should be the other, as I may be the most experienced with any technology they may be using,) Ax said in the air of one trying not to sound too snobby, but failing miserably.

"Sure, so Rachel and Ax go around the car wash as seagulls. But there's another part to the plan, and I'll need someone to volunteer for it. It could be dangerous, but I suppose the one with the most experience in this area is Marco."

"Jake, I don't think making out with you is very important to this mission," Rachel said smiling. Jake ignored her. "Once Ax and Rachel give us the ok, we're going to need someone to drive through, and see what happens."

Yeah, I had the most driving experience. I completely totaled Cassie's dad's truck while gaining this experience. But if the job needed to be done...

"You mean you want me to drive through the car wash?" I asked.

"Exactly."

"But...where are we going to get a car?" I squeaked. I wasn't really too eager to jump behind the wheel again.

"Oh don't even think about borrowing one of ours," Cassie said, shaking her head. Ah, so she remembered, too.

"My parents are renting a car on their vacation. We could use my dad's," Jake said.

"And you expect me to drive his car all the way down town and through the car wash?"

"Yep."

"Oh, well if that's all..." I muttered

Ax and Rachel flew off to the car wash. So I found myself standing in Jake's driveway, him leaning over to pick up the key from behind one of the front wheels.

"My parents thought Tom might need it, if he got home early," Jake said, as if I would think less of him simply because his parents hid the keys to the car in the most obvious space known to man kind. So this was dating your best friend. Awkward silences and even more embarrassing statements. I sat down in the driver's seat, and put the keys in the ignition. Jake got in and quickly buckled his seat belt. I buckled mine, put the car in drive, and slowly pulled out of the driveway into the road. I went about ten miles an hour most of the way, until a substantial line of cars piled up behind me, all beeping and making rude gestures out their windows. I sped up slightly, and began to get the hang of it.

"Hey, this isn't so bad," I said, putting the radio on. I veered into on-coming traffic as I leaned down. Jake grabbed the wheel and righted me. "Oh...thanks."

"No problem. Turn left, here," Jake said, pointing to the street the car wash was on. I pulled into a parking lot to wait for Rachel and Ax's 'ok'. Me and Jake sat in silence, until I couldn't take it anymore.

"So...they took it pretty well, huh?"

"Yeah. Rachel seems a bit angry, though."

"Rachel's always angry," I said, hoping she wasn't anywhere close enough to hear me.

"Mm. So..."

"So..."

Wow this was awful. Thankfully, Ax stopped by with the signal before we were crushed by the overwhelming tension.

(Everything on the outside appears normal, Prince Jake.)

"Thanks, Ax," Jake said, although I doubt he could hear him. I drove slowly to the car wash, and stopped at the entrance. A man approached the window.

"That'll be five bucks...say, aren't you a little young to be driving?"

"I have a bone deficiency, thanks for bringing it up." I turned to Jake. "Em, hey man, spot me?" He smiled and handed me a ten. I gave it to the man, who looked at us suspiciously. He handed me back the change.

"Drive on through," he said. I slowly drove in, and Jake and I locked our doors. It was completely dark, but I could sense those weird stringy strips of fabric whipping the car. The hot water was shooting out at us, and the soap was squishing against the car. Everything seemed to be going fine. Until I heard the lock unclick and the passenger side door open.

"Jake. Jake what are you doing?" No answer. I heard a loud thud, a groan, and the sound of something heavy sliding to the ground. "Jake. Jake? Jake?!" I cried, and leaning over I felt no one there. I was alone. Jake was gone. I continued to feel around the seat, refusing to admit that he was taken. I moved onto the floor, still feeling nothing, nothing but a pool of a thick, warm liquid. I've felt enough of this to know what it was. Blood.


	6. forgive me!

Hey! Gah I am so sorry I haven't updated in forever. My brother came home from school and usurped his computer, then left for college. But my dad brought home a laptop from work for me to use, so this weekend I am going to write until I pass out!!! I promise!!! 


	7. Chapter 6

Alright, so here 'tis. I'm going to use ( ) again for thought speech since those other things don't work so well.

I needed a plan. I hate thinking on my toes! I needed help! But there was only one way to get contact with the others. I could feel the fur beginning to poke through my soft skin, my muscles becoming layered; extreme buffness. As soon as I had the ability, I spoke to Ax.

(Dude we have a serious problem! They have Jake!) I cried.

(I'm coming,) Ax said, sounding horribly anxious. I abandoned the car, and tried to follow the trail left behind. The trail of blood. I could barely see the outline of a door to a lighted room. Common sense told me not to open it until I had reinforcements, but since when have I ever listened to that nagging voice in the back of my head? I slowly opened the door, having to be particularly careful of my hulking gorilla hands. I crept in, amazed that I wasn't instantly vaporized. In the corner, I saw a group of Hork-bajir, it looked like three of them. One was holding what looked like a big Tupperware container, which contained something that certainly wasn't day old lasagna. A bunch of gray slugs were swimming around in what I assumed was water. And slumped over in a chair, I saw Jake, blood dripping from a gaping wound on his forehead. One of the Hork-bajir was holding his head sideways, exposing his right ear.

(Get your hands off of him!) I roared, running forward. Luckily, at that moment, an Andalite, a wolf, a grizzly, and a Red-tailed hawk came rushing in, ready for action. So much for being subtle and checking things out. Rachel immediately scooped up Jake in her arms, but an arm blade from one of the Hork-bajir sliced her skin and tissue above the spine, causing her to drop him, turn, and knock the Hork-bajir's head off with one swipe of her monstrous paw. I ran forward and picked Jake back up, holding him like a baby. Ax quickly beheaded the two remaining Hork-bajir.

(We must leave immediately, it won't be long before more arrive,) Ax said, obviously horrified at having no prince to question.

(Yeah, we better get out of here,) Rachel said, running through a door in the back of the room, and rushing to the woods. We all followed, and began demorphing, only to morph back into the bird of our choice. But not Jake.

"What are we going to do with him?" I cried, kneeling at his side and gently touching the wound.

"Someone needs to morph something and get him out of here," Cassie said, beginning to morph to seagull.

"I'll go horse," I said, knowing that everyone realized I cared too much about Jake for anyone else to take him. I morphed more quickly than I had ever done. Everyone else went seagull, except Rachel, who helped lift Jake onto my back. She then joined the rest.

(My barn. Go,) Cassie said, looking at Jake. (Do you think he…)

(I don't know. I don't know…) I cried, beginning to run. Well. This was certainly poor planning on our part. And this didn't look strange, either. Me, running on all the back roads and through random hunks of woods to get to Cassie's barn, to join my friends who just flew there as birds. During my random babbling thoughts, Jake began to slowly come to.

"What…humans? No!" he muttered. I felt as if a bucket of ice had just been dumped down my throat. I had only ever heard Jake talk like this once before. When he had been made a controller, long ago.

(Sorry about this, man,) I said to him as I bucked, throwing him to the ground. He was rendered officially unconscious once more. How to get him back onto my back now? Well, I'm an idiot. I demorphed, then morphed to gorilla. Putting him on me piggyback style, I knuckle-walked my way to Cassie's, which was luckily not that far. Well, under any other circumstances this position might seem a bit more romantic.

I dragged Jake into the barn, placing him gently on the hay-strewn floor. I demorphed as Cassie immediately tended to Jake's wound.

"He's been out for such a long time," she said sounding concerned, dumping some gloopy stuff all over the wound.

"BAHKTU…ehem," I said as I got my human vocal cords back. "Actually, he came out of it for a bit on the way."

"What happened?" Rachel asked, looking at her cousin, full of concern.

"I bucked him off me, as a horse," I said simply, not knowing how to react to the awful news, and dreading the moment when I'd have to break it to everyone.

"You WHAT?!" Rachel demanded, grabbing me by the shirt and nearly lifting me into the air.

"When he woke up…he said…" I delicately released myself from Rachel's death grip, and sat on a bale of hay, putting my head in my hands.

(Said what, Marco?) Ax asked, seeming to already know.

"He's a controller," I whispered, trying to fight the tears. No one said anything. They all looked at me, mouths wide, then looked at Jake. His eyes were slowly beginning to flutter. As he opened them, the first thing he saw was Ax.

"Andalite!" he roared, sitting up quickly. Too quickly. He had to lie back down, clutching his head.

"Not again!" Cassie cried, as Rachel immediately morphed to grizzly.

"I mean…Ax-man. Hey guys, that was pretty rough, back there, huh?" he said, not fooling anyone.

"Save iiihgggd," Rachel began. (Save it,) she said as she completed the morph. She grabbed Jake and held him on her lap.

(So what would you like for Christmas, little Yeerk?) she asked, holding him tightly. (How long has it been? How much longer before you shrivel up into dust?)

"Rachel, come on!" But by the tone in "Jake's" voice, you could tell it had been too long ago. Things instantly changed, going from terrible to absolutely insane. Jake began to convulse.

"Kill me. Just kill me, please!" he begged, eyes rolling back into his head as something gray and slimy began to peek out from his ear. Soon the slug plopped onto the ground, Rachel standing, paw poised over the pitiful creature in its helpless state.

"AHHHHHHHH! GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT! NEVER AGAIN!" Jake was screaming, rolling around, scratching at his ears, tears beginning to stream down his face.

"Jake, stop!" I ordered, not wanting him to cause further harm to himself. I knelt down beside him, and held him in my arms. I gently kissed his forehead, which was covered in blood and sweat. I didn't care.

"Help me, Marco! Please help me," he was crying, burying his head in my chest.

"It's alright, I'm here. It's gone, it's out, Jake," I whispered, gently stroking his hair.

(What should we do with it?) Tobias asked from his perch in the rafters.

"Kill it," Cassie said. Everyone looked at her, expecting some sort of hippie tree-hugger rant.

"What?" we all said in unison.

"Well he clearly wants to die. He'll either get stepped on, or starve. You all remember when Jake's last Yeerk starved," Cassie said. Jake shuddered. He was still crying, but silently now, as I slowly rocked him.

"He didn't have long left," Jake whispered.

"He told you?" Rachel asked, demorphed.

"He couldn't hide it, he was already starting to lose it," he began, his weakness clearly heard in every word he spoke. "They kept them away from the pool too long. They had them in water, just water. The Visser wouldn't listen. They tried to explain…tried…" Jake closed his eyes, and settled himself back down on my lap.

"Come on Jake, keep going, this is important," Rachel said, trying to sound delicate.

"Leave him alone!" I shouted, holding him more tightly.

"Look, that's all very sweet, protecting your love and all, but he needs to tell us everything," Rachel said. I sighed, knowing she was right, but hating to hear Jake suffer so much. I gently turned him so he was facing everyone else. His eyes opened again.

"Please, carry on," Cassie urged gently.

"They…they have them stored in water…no room for pool…too obvious…don't have…don't have the whole police force, yet. The car wash…it wouldn't have passed inspection. The Yeerks…they were out too long. Told to go…straight from car wash to pool, McDonald's entrance right next door."

"So, now what?" I asked, cradling Jake as he finished his story.

"Kill it!" Cassie demanded, Jake's story having distracted us all from the immediate issue. Rachel stepped on the defenseless worm, a small squishing sound coming from beneath her foot.

"Look, I'm going home, alright? Jake, are you ok to fly?" I asked, slowly standing, drawing Jake up with me.

"You can't just go!" Rachel shouted.

"He needs to rest, we'll come back tomorrow night, alright?" I said, just daring her to disagree with me.

"Fine!" she said, sitting down heavily and crossing her arms.

"Jake, can you fly?" I repeated.

"Yeah. Yeah," he said, still shaking. It hurt me, seeing him like this. It was weird, I never liked it when he was hurt before, obviously. He was my best friend. But it was different now. Harder. I kissed him on the head, and began to morph. He looked at me, and followed suit, morphing to peregrine falcon. We flew home in silence, Jake flying a few loops, as if getting back into freedom mode. We flew through my bedroom window, demorphed, and he instantly laid down on my bed. I went to get him a glass of water. My dad was in the kitchen.

"Hey, take you long enough to drop your summer homework off at school?" he asked, but he was smiling, so I knew he wasn't really mad.

"Sorry, we met Rachel, you know, Jake's cousin? And had something to eat."

"Well whatever it was, it's all over your shirt. Be more careful next time, Marco. Jeez, it looks like you slaughtered a cow for your lunch!" I looked down and saw that my shirt was covered in blood. Jake's.

"Nice shorts," my dad said as he walked into the living room with some nachos and a coke. "Kids today," he laughed softly under his breath. As I was walking up the stairs with Jake's glass of water, I heard a knock at the door.

"I'll get it!" I shouted to my dad, walking towards the door. I opened it, and saw two men in suits standing in front of me.

"Yes?" I asked, not liking the looks of this.

"We heard that Jake" -insert generic last name here as I am not going to tell you- "is staying here with you," one of them said, eyes hidden behind sunglasses.

"Yeah, why?"

"His parents car went missing. We found it in a car wash, abandoned. It was full of blood. His." My heart sank. These weren't any regular police. They were controllers, which was made really rather apparent by the dracon beams in their holsters. We were in serious trouble.


End file.
